Apple Pressing

Everyone we know who has apples has said that today has been a good year for them and we second that.  Today was very much a remain indoors day but Tony braved the awful weather to go back and forth to the allotment with his basket and pick the eating apples:  Egremont Russets and Adam's Pearmain.  Meanwhile, I took out the apple press, put it together and gave it a clean in preparation for the day's work.

First task was to wash the apples and then we set about chopping them in to quarters to go in the pulper, a fearsome beast with four sets of manglers.  Once the pulper hopper was full, Tony turned the wheel and reduced the apples to a juicy pulp which was then pressed.  My job is to catch the juice, change the bowl underneath the flow and bottle up the juice to go in the freezer.  It's hard work and took us until late afternoon to finish, but very satisfying.  This year we filled 14.5 litres/bottles.  I'll have to look back and see if that is more than previous years.

The tiresome bit is the cleaning of the press as the apple pulp gets into every nook and cranny of the machine, but it's done and it will go back in to the shed tomorrow till next year.

In a parallel universe, another PM has gone and there is talk of bringing back Bozo, jeepers.....